Discharge preparation experiences and needs of intergenerational caregivers of neonatal intensive care unit preterm: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the real experiences and needs of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) preterm intergenerational caregivers for discharge preparation and provide a basis for nursing staff to formulate systemic and personalized health education plans and continuous nursing plans for preterm discharge. DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a descriptive qualitative study. An objective sampling method was used to select 16 intergenerational caregivers of preterm infants admitted to the NICU of tertiary obstetrics and gynecology hospitals in Zhejiang and Jilin provinces from December 2023 to February 2024. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on the day of discharge of the preterm infants and six weeks after discharge. Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method was used to analyze the interview data. RESULTS: Based on the existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) theory, the discharge preparation experiences and needs of neonatal intergenerational caregivers in the NICU were summarized into three themes: psychological condition, care capacity condition, and multi-party support needs. CONCLUSIONS: In the process of hospital discharge preparation, intergenerational caregivers of premature infants in NICU have multiple needs, including enhancing nursing ability and obtaining psychological and multi-party support. It is helpful to take effective interventions to improve their readiness for discharge. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The nursing staff should develop personalized discharge health education plans and continuous nursing plans to improve the level of discharge preparation. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS: There were no patient or public contributions.

The relationship between psychological contract and occupational wellbeing of mother-infant care helpers in Zhejiang Province.

BACKGROUND: Mother-infant care (MIC) helpers have become an indispensable part in hospital services. In order to stabilize the MIC workforce, it is essential for administrators to have a solid understanding of what may influence occupational wellbeing. This article aims to explore how demographic characteristics and psychological contract affect occupational wellbeing among MIC helpers in Zhejiang Province, China. METHODS: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study with MIC helpers in obstetrics from 20 hospitals in Zhejiang Province. A questionnaire including demographic data, a psychological contract scale and an occupational wellbeing scale was used in this study. Multiple linear regression was conducted to investigate the relationships between demographic characteristics, psychological contract and occupational wellbeing. RESULTS: This study surveyed 260 MIC helpers and found out the mean score of the psychological contract was 4.38 and the mean score of the occupational wellbeing was 4.01. Monthly income and psychological contract were significant predictors of occupational wellbeing (F = 142.167, p < 0.001), which explained 62.1% of the total amount of variance in occupational wellbeing. Psychological contract was the most important predictor of occupational wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: Administrators should pay attention to the effect of psychological contract on occupational wellbeing of the MIC helpers in China. Focusing on the inner needs should be considered as a strategy for stabilizing the team.

Application of the triage assessment system for psychological assessment for pregnant women with a deadly fetal abnormality.

To explore suitable scales to assess psychological status of pregnant women whose fetuses have grave deformities, a face-to-face interview guided by the Triage Assessment System (TAS) was conducted. Also, a questionnaire of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was obtained in 44 pregnant women diagnosed with a fetal deformity. Percentages and non-parametric Spearman correlations were used to analyse the scores of the two scales. The total score of TAS ranged from 3 to 26, with a mean of 9.93; and the total score of IES-R ranged from 5 to 63, with a mean of 40.36. The total score and the two subscales of each scale were significantly correlated (P < 0.05). The TAS subscale of emotion and IES-R subscale of intrusion were not significantly correlated, with r = 0.24 (P = 0.11). Combined use of TAS and IES-R can make up for each other's deficiencies and guide the clinician to make individual interventions during screening and treatment.